Commentary

5:00 am

Fri July 27, 2012

Restaurant Review: Delish Deli

I have been curious about the new Delish Deli at Food For Thought since they opened a few months ago. Food for Thought is a locally owned natural food store that’s been in business since 1971, so they know what they are doing in the healthy food department.

The Delish Deli serves light meals, snacks, and baked goods. I asked my sous chefs Kelly Rae and Kinta what they wanted to try. We try to stay on top of food trends, and the Delish Deli serves not only gluten-free dishes, but raw-cuisine fare, smoothies, and salads. Even if you aren’t passionate about any of those things, the food is really good.We were all interested in the “Rawcos”, a taco-like lettuce wrap made entirely with raw ingredients. Crunchy romaine leaves were spread with a cashew nut “cheese” and topped with chopped walnuts and pico de gallo. They were surprisingly fabulous. Raw-food cuisine has always seemed like an oxymoron to me, but we were impressed with the flavor and texture of this dish. It was very light, and not very filling, but maybe that’s the point. We tried the Mock Tuna salad, made from sprouted almond and sunflower seeds, relish, and kelp powder. It was also delicious, and fairly reminiscent of real tuna salad.

We also had the Tofu Salad sandwich, which was savory with nutritional yeast. The side salad was fresh and crunchy, topped with candied walnuts, feta, and apple vinaigrette. The split pea soup was just fine, but not prepared in-house. I’m picky about soup. Prices are on the high side, but organic ingredients are quite expensive, so that makes sense. I’m excited to go back and try their gluten free chocolate cupcakes.